Tracker mechanism for piano-players.



T. TURNEY.

53101-1 FILED SEPT. 22, 1911.

MECHANISM FOR PIANO PLESTERSx E. T. TURNEY. TRACKER MECHANISM FOR PIANO PLAYERS. APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 22, 1911. '1,()56,858 Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@QL Ai pziw-ww p T b all whom/dandy concern:

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE r. TURNEY, or. DAVENPORT, IOWA, assrolvoa 'ro AMERICAN PNEUMMW ACTION com ANY, or navsnronr, IOWA, a CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

.- p I a Tuox'sa MECHANISM FOR Piano-PLAYERS.

Be it knownlthat I, EUGENE T. TURNEY, a citizen of the-United States, residin at Davenport, in the count of Scott and tate of Iowa,-have. invente a new and useful Tracker Mechanism for Piano-Players, of

v which the following is a Specification.

- invention relates to improvements in pianoplayers in which. a perforated roll is passed over a. series of apertures so that the perforations in the roll coming in coincideuce with the apertures cause the said a )ertures to be opened and closed. The portion of the mechanism which contains the apertures is termed the tracker board. In preparing the rolls the location of the perforations upon them are not always uniformly located and occur at varying distances from the edge of the roll.

My invention has'for its ob ects, the provisionof mechanism for securin the accurate alinement or reglstration of the perforations in the music roll with the a P turesf'in the tracker and the further Ol)]QClZ of supplying a means for adjusting the? mechanism so as to accommodate itto mufi sic rolls in which the apertures are located at different distances from the edge .of the? roll. I attain these objects by the mech-;

anism" illustrated in the accompanying} drawings, in which Fi ure 1 is afront elevation .of my in-! vention partially in section; Fig. 1 is a de-v tail of Big. 1 in longitudinal section; Fig? 2 is a sectionaldetailof the mechanism for adjust-in the locationof the spool for the music ro hand. F ig. 3 is a partial ,end elei.

vat-ion of the pneumatic. p Similar reference letters refer to similar parts vthroughoutthe several views.

-.The reference numerals 1 and 2 desig-i mate the side bars which are secured verti- 'cally in the. piano and in which are jour-l 4g naled, one above'the'other, the music's ools,:

3 and, 4. The music-rolls are supplie permanently secured to" a spool "which must be inserted inthepla er,gand u on'which the piece is rewounda ter bein p ayed. Inorder to receive this music spoo u on which the roll is permanently attache Iv have rovided in the upperportion of the side her a journal, 5, in which is mounted, so as .to both rotate and move longitudinally, a

shaft, 6. The inner end of the shaft 6 is provided with a projection, 7, adapted to I Patented Max:325, 1913.

go into an aperture in the end of the mu- SIC spool. Back of the projection, 7, is an annular collar, 8, and between the collar 8 and the journal, 5, is a coil sprin 9, which tends to press the shaft, 6, inwar y, so as to engage the end of themusic spool. A collar 10 isadjustably secured by a set screw, 11, to the outer end of the shaft, 6, so that it journal, 5, by the action of the .s ring, 9,

engagement with the music s 001.

In the upper portion of t e side bar 1,

will not be entirely withdrawn from the when the inner end of the shaft 18 not in detail in Fig. 2. The construction of this mechanism and its operation is as follows A journal 12 is provided in the side bar, 1, in'which' is mounted the shaft, 13, the irrner end of which is provided with a. square or angular projection, 14, which extends into andenga es/a cavity provided for that pose in t e end of the music spool. ack

.of the projection, 14, is a collar 15. Upon the inner face of the side bar, 1 and about the journal, 12, is provided a racket, 16.

Into this bracket, 16, screws the knurl shown.

The music spool is inserted into the t me described mec anism by placin one end thereof upon the projection, 7, 0% the shaft,

the action of the spring, 9, until the other 1 end thereof may be brought opposite the projection, 14, upon the shaft, 13, at which time the spring 9 1S permitted to become effective and press the end of the music spool into headed Washer, 17, theouter edge of .6, and pressing the shaft outwardlyagainst engagement with the projection, 14. ,The

longitudinal location of the music s oolis secured by the rotation of the knurl headed screw, 17 against the action of which spool is pressed by the sprin In the lower portionsof th and 2, 1s journaled the spool4, whichreceivesthe music roll as it is unwound from the roll to which itis permanently attached,

and the bearings for this spool are such as 'to permit it longitudinal play so that itmay follow and accommodate'itself tothe location of the upper spool... 1

a I e side b rs;

Between the'spools, 3-arid 4 and-s0- dis-.1

posed as to contact the music mil passing between the spools, is the tracker board, 13., This trucker board consists of two pieces, a shorter end pie 9, 19, which is provided with holes, into which extend pins, 21, secured by screws, 22, in a longer piece, 23, of the tracker board, in which are located the note apertures, 24. A knurl headed screw, 25, is provided in the shorter piece, 19, of the tracker board, the inner end of which screws into the portion, 23, of the tracker bocrd and which is provided with u col1ar,26, abutting against the portion, 19, or the trucks? board so that by rotating the iznurl heeded screw, 25, the portion 23- of the 1 her board is forced from or drown toward the portion, 19, The head of the scrcwis exposed so as to be i'eedi y accessi ble, is only necessary to turn its head up or down in order to. adjust the parts and hoid then. in the adjusted position by one operation. The outer end; the tracker board portion, 23, is provided with pins, 27, which are journuled. to slide longitudinally in the side bar, 1, and. the portion, 19, of the tracker board is carried upon sheit,28,

journals-l to slide transversely in the side 2. A collar, 29, is ed ustebly secured tothc shaft by means of the set screw,

30, and between the collar 29 endthe outer face the side bar, 2, is a coil spring, 31,

the action of which tends to hold the trucker board for to the left or toward the side bar, 2, cs can be drown, Nesi' she end of the shaft, 28, is u nut or butt-o i 32. I

' To the outer face of the side has, 2, is secured e yelve casing which contains u vacuum compartment, 33, communicating by means of the piping A, with the means for producing the vacuum not shown. Directly below the vacuum chamber, 33, is a diephrcgm chamber, 3 1, which is separated from the vacuum chamber by a diaphragm' 35' The diaphragm chamber communicates with the vacuum chamber by means of a 3-3., which is'psrtielly closed by ssuiteble strip of parchment in which there u reduced aperture or bleed hole, 37. ibove the vacuum chamber, 33, is pussegevmy, 33, leading directly to the outside atmosphere. The top and bottom ct this passageway, 38, are closed by Valves,

3 provided an aperture, 56, which communicetes by means'of a tube, 57, with the diaphragm chamber, 34:.

The operation of the mechanism is as follows :-A music roll is inserted between the shafts, 6 and 13, and secured to the lower spool 4. Theupper music roll is now adjusbed by means of the knurl headed screw, 17, so that the edge of the music sheet just splits the aperture, 56, in the short end p0rtion, 19, of the tracker board. The knurl headed screw, 25 is now rotated as to bring the apertures 24 in the long' piece, 23, of the tracker board so as to exactly register with the perforations in the music roll. When the production of the piece is started, a vacuum is created in the chamber 33,

The edge of the music roll as above de-v scribed just coming half way across or split ting the aperture, 56, permits air to flow therethrough and through the tube 57, to the diaphragm chamber, 34. This causes the elevationof the diaphragm and the elevation of the' valve stem, 50, which opens the valve, 39, and closing the valve 40, thereby creating communication. between the bellows, 53, and the vacuum chamber 33. The atmospheric pressure collapses the bellows, 53, and through the arm 55 and button 32, the shaft, 28, isforced to the right, thereby forcing the en.

tracker board com rising the pieces, 19 and 23, to the right. of opening through 56 and the volumeof air flowing to the diaphragm chamber;

tially exhausted through the bleed hole, 37,

thereby'causing the depression of the dia{- phragm and the closure of the valve 39 and the opening of the valveAO. The spring,

31, now becomes effective and forces the shaft, 28, to the left" thereby increasing the open-area through the aperture, 56. The result of this condition is to cause-the tracker board to be balanced between the actions'of the bellows, '53, and thes'pring, 31, there, by securing, a. sensitive immediately respending entire tracker board to move longitudinally to meet end overcome .any irregularities wl'nch'may be occasloned by the uneven winding of-the music roll. 7

There is a continuous flow of air through automatic ad'ustment of the tracker board to the paths of the'perfora- This restricts the area the guide-opening and diaphragm chamber phragm chamber bein the single and bleed hole, the pressure in the diavariable or undulatory. This feature 0 the apparatus, however, is not claimed broadly in the present application, being covered in a co-pendin-g application Serial No. (395,511, filed. May 6, 1912. i

Having thus described 'my invention what I claim as new and desire 'to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A tracker mechanism for piano players comprising a tracker. board, a member in the path otthe musicsheet and having a fport, means controlled by the position 0 relatively to said single port for automatically shifting the lateral relation between the'tracker board and'said sheet in opposite directions as required to maintain them in correct register, and a device for effecting a relative lateral adjustment between tracker board and said member.

2. A tracker mechanism for piano players comprising a single ported member over whicha part of the music sheet passes, mechanism operated by the increasing of the open areatof such port by the music sheet for automatically adjusting the lateral register of'the sheet with the tracker board in one direction and by the decreasing of the open I Y area of said port for automatically adjusting the register in the opposite direction, and

means for causing a relative lateral adjustment between said ported member and the tracker board.

3. A tracker mechanism for piano players comprising a single ported member over direction and by the a single edge of the music sheet which a part of the music sheet passes, mechanism operated by the increasing of the open area of such port by the music sheet for [automatically adjusting the lateral register of the sheet with the tracker board in one decreasing of the open area of said port for automatically adjusting the register in the opposite direction, and means for causing a relative lateral adjustment'between said ported member and the tracker board, said adjusting means comprising a screw exposed at the side of the sheeteand adapted when turned to cause the desired adjustment.

4. A tracker mechanism for piano players comprising devices for efiecting' relative movement longitudinally of the tracker board between the music sheet and the tracker board, one of said devices causing such movement in a direction opposite to that, caused by the other, a member in the path of said sheet and having a port, the increasingof the open area of which causes one of said devices to operate and the de creasing of the open area of which causes the sheet is maintained in such a position as to nearly cover said port and balance said devices against each other, and means for effecting. a relative lateral movement between said ported member and the trackerthe other of said devices to operate, whereby 

